10,000 Book Bag Giveaway
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Ginuwine and D.C. Councilmember Kwame Brown Kick Off Second Annual Life Day:10,000 Book Bag Giveaway With Special Focus on Before and After School Health
Event to offer bookbags, school supplies, and healthy choice workshops to underprivileged children in Washington, D.C. region
For the second consecutive year, The Life Center Church, in partnership with At- Large D.C. Councilmember Kwame Brown, is hosting Life Day: 10,000 Book Bag Giveaway on Sunday, August 16, 2009 at The Life Center Church in Camp Springs, Md. and Ambulatory Care Center at DC General Health Campus in Washington, D.C. Held from 2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., the Life Day: 10,000 Book Bag Giveaway will give away more than 10,000 book bags to at-risk children attending schools in the greater Washington metropolitan area.
“I want to repeat the great success we had last year,” said At-Large Councilmember Kwame R. Brown. “It’s critical that we do whatever we can to help make sure students are fully prepared to head back to class. Many parents are struggling to make ends meet and this is a positive way for them to contribute to their children’s education.”
This year, in addition to giving Washington, D.C. area children book bags for school, Life Day is planning a Healthy Choices Expo: Life Day workshop leaders will be on hand to share tips for healthy eating and living before school, during the school day, as well as after school. Ginuwine and his wife Solo will make another special appearance to support the event. D.C. Councilmember Kwame Brown, who participated last year, is responsible for arranging the D.C. General Health Campus location.
“Last year, hundreds of people lined up to receive free book bags hours before we opened our doors to distribute the bags,” said Jay Cameron, organizer of the 2008 Life Day event. “This year, we will be not only giving away bags, but we’ll be helping families make healthy choices so that the whole family can stay engaged throughout the school year.”
In the United States roughly 7,000 students drop out of public schools everyday. In communities like Ward 7 and 8 in the District, where students face a disproportionate number of challenges such as gang violence, drug usage and high crime, the dropout rate can be high as 50 percent. And according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 16 percent of children 6-19 years old are overweight or obese—a number that has tripled since 1980.
This year’s Life Day: 10,000 Bookbag Giveaway will help thousands of at-risk children of all races and backgrounds start the school year with tools they need to succeed in the classroom and out. Health experts will be on hand to show kids how to read and interpret nutrition labels and how to prepare their own healthy lunches and after-school snacks. A nutritionist from MINT Club Spa Retreat in Adams Morgan (http://www.mintconditionyourself.com) will be on site to show kids how to read and interpret nutrition labels and prepare their own healthy lunches and after-school snacks. Wellness instructors from the Infinity Wellness Foundation (http://www.infinitywellness.org) will be leading workshops on how to manage stress before and after school with 15 minutes of meditation or yoga. The Healthy Choices workshops are meant to help families develop healthy habits they can keep for life.
“With a down economy affecting so many families living in the Washington, D.C. area, I felt that Life Day was needed more than ever. Our goal is to encourage children to stay in school, give disadvantaged children a head start, and give families tools to make healthy choices that will keep them on track all year long,” said Cameron.
Last year, families who attended Life Day: 10,000 Book Bag Giveaway had an opportunity to meet local D.C. celebrities such as Ginuwine and his wife Sole, Jeff Johnson (Tom Joyner Morning Show, BET), D.C. Councilman Kwame Brown, actor Lammon Rucker (Why Did I Get Married). Other event supporters included Hill Harper (CSI:NY), writer David Talbert (First Sunday) and Congresswoman Carolyn Kilpatrick.
For more information, to volunteer or to make a donation please visitwww.10000bookbags.com.
Event Information
Life Day: 10,000 on 8.16.08
The Life Center
5610 Linda Lane
Camp Springs, Maryland
2:30 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Ambulatory Care Center at DC General Hospital
1900 Massachusettes Ave, SE
Washington, D.C. 20003
Metro: Blue/Orange Line – Stadium Armory
Urban Change is a five-year organization based in Prince Georges County, Maryland. The organization’s mission is to improve the quality of community life by offering educational programs on sexual health, emotional and physical well-being and life skills (i.e.: parenthood and career training). Through the arts, support groups and workshops, Urban Change endeavors to increase the informed awareness of those we serve as well as provide motivation, practical tools and encouragement toward the achievement of the highest possible levels of personal integrity.
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Posted by Press Secretary Michael Price
